crane

A piece of tall construction equipment for lifting things is called a "crane".
The name comes from the bird with a long neck.

snow

I went to the Chinese mall yesterday and it suddenly started snowing -- very unusual for April 17. I wasn't wearing my winter coat :(

Happy Birthday

the 16th of April

vicuna

The vicuna is a wild animal that lives in South America. The wool is very expensive.

This picture is from a friend :)

RAVINE

A ravine is the V-shaped notch cut into the land by a creek (a small river). Ravines usually have small trees on the side. Usually there are no buildings in a ravine because of the danger of flooding.

Fire on the Highway

Saying of the Day: "Where there's smoke, there's fire". Meaning: If there is evidence that something exists, then it exists. For example, if things disappear in an office, there someone is a thief.

Phone Expressions

A: ABC Company B: May I speak to Mr. Smith? A: I'm sorry, but he's not in right now. OR: I'm sorry, but he just stepped out. May I take a message? OR: Would you like to leave a VoiceMail? B: Yes, could you ask him to call John Doe at (905) 123-4567.

use

use - noun - sounds like "youssssssssssssss" - e.g., The use of the tool ...

use - verb - sounds like "youzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz" - e.g., I use the tool ...

My contract is ending

CON'tract (noun) - has emphasis on the first syllable

conTRACT (verb) - has emphasis on the second syllable.

Some words are like this in English.

----

I bought a Star Trek CD today.

April 1

April 1st is "April Fool's Day". This is a day to play jokes on people.

MOX

MOX = Mixed OXide fuel made from uranium and plutonium

MOX is used in Fukushima's Number 3 reactor, and is more dangerous than the fuel in the other reactors. Authorities are worried about a breach in the reactor. A breach is a hole in a container where something can leak out or leak in.

fire on Highway 401

"photo opportunity" is an expression that means: a situation where you can take pictures

I will be away some of next week.

I will be away some of next week.

Daylight Savings Time starts

"Spring forward, fall back."

Toronto is now 13 hours behind Japan.
8pm in Toronto is 9am in Japan.

hope everybody in Japan is OK

.

It snowed unexpectedly last nite.

The correct spelling is: night, light

But this spelling is sometimes used for casual writing: nite, lite

yes / no

YES and NO in English are not the same as HAI and IIE in Japanese, when you're answering a negative question:

Isn't it raining?

Yes, it is (raining). ---> the sentence is POSITIVE

No, it's not (raining). ---> the sentence is NEGATIVE


AME FURIMASEN DESU KA?

HAI -> you are right, it is not raining.

IIE -> you are wrong, it is raining.

feeling tired lately ... taking a day off